Ouellette, a rookie pro making his first AHL start, made 33 saves plus six stops on eight attempts in shootout to help the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to a 3-2 win over the East Division-rival Norfolk Admirals in front of a hockey-record 8,918 fans Saturday night at the PPL Center in Allentown.

Ouellette, who was recalled from the ECHL-affiliate Reading Royals on Dec. 20 after No. 1 goalie Rob Zepp received a callup for the Philadelphia Flyers, was joined in victory by Reading teammate Adam Comrie, who scored the only goal in shootout before Ouellette forced Norfolk's Antoine Lagniere into a whiff.

"To have guys come in here and play well is a good thing for us," Flyers alternate captain Andrew Gordon said. "We have to have confidence in them. We were all those guys once."

You certainly needed a roster sheet for the game as the Phantoms improved to 14-11-4-1 with 33 points.

Ouellette, who turns 23 on Tuesday, made his first AHL start after going 8-4-2 with the Royals this season.

The Phantoms were without defenseman Mark Alt and rookie goalie Anthony Stolarz, both of whom suffered "upper body" injuries in a 4-2 loss against the Hershey Bears on Friday night at the Giant Center. Alt looked like he injured a shoulder when he went down and crashed into the boards, and Stolarz took an unpenalized hit to the head from Hershey's Chris Brown that knocked the goalie's head into the goal post or crossbar. Phantoms coach Terry Murray said both players are day-to-day.

To make up for those losses, the Phantoms recalled Comrie, a 6-foot-4, 219-pound defenseman, and goalie Connor Knapp from Reading.

"With Marty in net, we have all the faith in the world in him," Gordon said. "He's only in the ECHL because there's only two [goalie] spots on the team. He's an American League goalie. In a few years, who knows where he'll be. He's been an outstanding goalie in the brief moments we've seen him, so you have to have faith in the [development] system."

"It was exciting and it's always great to get the first win out of the way right away," Ouellette said. "You really don't think about it being in shootout. At that point in the game, you've been through three periods, 30 shots, and it was a tight game the whole way. You just try and be in a zone and keep your team in it."

That's exactly what Ouellette did through 30 shots in regulation and five in the seven-minute overtime, and then stopping six of eight shooters in shootout, with the other two missing the net.

Comrie, on the other hand, took the eighth shot for the Phantoms in the shootout, and went backhand, five-hole to beat veteran Norfolk keeper John Gibson.

Murray had just met Comrie at the morning skate and doesn't recall ever seeing him play.

"He took his chances," Comrie said of hearing his name called for the shootout. "I was excited to take a chance at shootout in my first callup this year, especially on my first callup and [Murray] not knowing what moves I had."

Nick Cousins put the Phantoms on top with 1:03 left in the first period on a nice slapshot from the left side of the slot that appeared to deflect off at least one Norfolk defender. Cousins' seventh goal of the season beat Gibson to the far side on the Phantoms' 15th shot of the game, and came after Zack Stortini fed him from behind the net on the nearside.

Just 18 seconds later, center Blair Jones took a stick in the face from Norfolk defenseman Mike Clark that warranted a double-minor for high sticking that gave the Phantoms a 4-minute power play. At least referee Mike Mullen saw that one. He missed one 7:40 into the game when Charles Sarault's stick whacked Jason Akeson with the same intensity.

Akeson exacted revenge with his sixth goal of the season, scoring on a rising shot from the right circle to the far shoulder of Gibson just 1:29 into the second period, with Stortini picking up his second assist for his first multiple-point game of the season, and the third for Akeson. Manning also picked up an assist on that goal.

LeBlanc put the Admirals on the scoreboard on a rebound off Ouellette, solving the rookie goalie on Norfolk's 11th shot of the contest.

Chris Wagner scored his ninth goal of the season backdoor on the right side of the goal with 2:28 left in regulation to tie the game at 2 and send it into overtime.

Phantom files: Fans are getting their money's worth at the PPL Center. The shootout marked the eighth home game this season that has gone to overtime, and fourth to shootout. Four of the last six home games have gone to overtime ... On Friday night, the Phantoms were tied for sixth in the Eastern Conference playoff race, but dropped to 10th with the loss to Hershey, missing a chance to leapfrog the Bears in the standings ... Saturday night's game was sold out about 10 days in advance and the Phantoms issued more standing-room-only tickets than usual … The team won't play at the PPL Center again until hosting the Albany Devils on Jan. 16, a span of 20 days without a home game … The Phantoms played the East Division rival Admirals in the second of eight meetings this season, and the second time at home, beating them 4-3 in the initial meeting of the season Nov. 29.